Breweries

It's getting crowded in the American beer market, with the most breweries in operation in the country's history. This year, 2,751 breweries were active and permitted in the U.S. , according to industry group the Beer Institute. Of those, 98% opened in the last three decades, 85% in the last two. The industry isn't quite going the way of Starbucks, which plans to add 3,000 stores in the Americas in the next four years. But 442 new breweries opened in 2012 alone -- California leading the pack with 31 new launches.

The gig: Drinking beer. More precisely, Jeremy Raub runs Eagle Rock Brewery, an artisanal beer maker he co-founded with his wife, Ting Su, in 2009 that helped spark L.A.'s craft suds scene. The company runs a popular taproom at its brewery in Glassell Park where it also offers tours. Raub is opening a second brewery in Eagle Rock that will feature a 50-seat restaurant. It's in the genes: Raub, 39, grew up in Rochester, N.Y., where his father regularly made beer in the family kitchen.

Five German brewing companies were fined millions by German authorities for colluding to fix prices between 2006 and 2008. The companies -- Bitburger, Krombacher, Veltins, Warsteiner and Barre -- have been ordered to pay a combined 106.5 million euros (about $145.5 million), along with seven people "personally involved" in the price fixing scheme, according to a statement from the Federal Cartel Office. The collusion started in joint meetings between national breweries, which first agreed to price hikes for their draught and bottled suds, the authorities said.

Five German brewing companies were fined millions by German authorities for colluding to fix prices between 2006 and 2008. The companies -- Bitburger, Krombacher, Veltins, Warsteiner and Barre -- have been ordered to pay a combined 106.5 million euros (about $145.5 million), along with seven people "personally involved" in the price fixing scheme, according to a statement from the Federal Cartel Office. The collusion started in joint meetings between national breweries, which first agreed to price hikes for their draught and bottled suds, the authorities said.

In case you hadn't realized it, there's a whole lot of brewing going on in Southern California. Don't believe it? Read the New Yorker. The magazine has put together a slick interactive map that illustrates the dramatic growth of the craft beer industry. Based on new data from the Brewers Assn., the map highlights which states have the most craft breweries, which produce the most craft beer and where the biggest and newest breweries are located. California makes the most craft beer and has the most craft breweries of any state, with 316 breweries combining to produce almost 2.5 million barrels (nearly 79 million gallons)

Bass, which owns some of Britain's best-known beer brands, is considering selling its breweries at a time when it is focusing more on its Holiday Inn and other hotel holdings and expanding its pub chains. Bass confirmed that it is weighing "strategic options" for its brewing business, but said in a letter to the London Stock Exchange that "no decisions have been taken." A Bass official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the strategic review could result in a sale.

Cleanup crews Tuesday continued mopping up the second chemical spill in less than a month that drained from the Anheuser-Busch brewery into Haskell Creek and flowed into the Sepulveda Basin wildlife area. State wildlife officials said the caustic cleaning solution apparently killed a turtle and a few frogs and small carp, but that there were no signs of distressed waterfowl or other harm to the 108-acre wildlife area about 2 1/2 miles south of the Van Nuys brewery.

Workers at a brewery that makes Corona beer here have vowed to continue their fight for an independent union, as government arbitrators weigh the claims of a union affiliated with Mexico's major labor federation and those of the rival group. Gathered late Thursday at the Modelo Brewery, under a 10-story-high, crown-shaped sign that reads "Corona," workers shouted their support for the rival group, which is leading a sometimes-violent 45-day-old strike.

Guinness PLC said Wednesday that it agreed to buy Spain's largest brewer, Cruzcampo SA, for $1.02 billion (518 million pounds), giving it entry to Europe's fastest-growing beer market. Guinness said the transaction would make it the 12th-largest brewer in the world by volume and No. 4 measured by operating profits. Guinness said the purchase was expected to be completed in January. Cruzcampo would become part of Guinness Brewing Worldwide Ltd., the Anglo-Irish firm's main brewing subsidiary.

Jesse Bracamontes is one of the legions of Sriracha sauce fans who squirts the bright red paste of peppers, garlic and spices on all manner of foods: pizza, take-out Chinese and even a plain bowl of noodles. But when the pungent Sriracha smell wafts into the frontyard of his Irwindale home, he says, his nose runs and he feels a little sick. "It feels a little like pepper spray," he said. Bracamontes lives a short walk from Sriracha's bustling new plant in Irwindale, which can produce up to 200,000 bottles of the hot sauce each day. The company moved there last year, responding to heavy global demand.

Developed as a "brewer's beer" that would be appealing to drink all day, Solidarity Black Mild Ale was the first commercial beer produced by Eagle Rock Brewery. The "black mild" is a creative take on a classic British style that defies convention and expectations while remaining approachable and satisfying. Brewed with 13 different malts for a complex malt flavor and a dark, nearly black color, the beer pours nearly opaque, topped with a creamy, tan foam. The nose is sweet, with notes of roasted grain and fresh coffee and just a suggestion of wood smoke.

Imagine a cave woman, id-driven and disheveled, lost in the soft, squishy possibility of the clay in her hands. Then triple it. That would be Me Like Clay, a newly formed collective whose chest-thumping members -- Titia Estes, Susan Wong and Heather Rosenman -- will show their work at the Brewery ArtWalk next weekend. “It's the primal, pure aspect of clay that draws us,” Estes said. “We all get dirt in our faces, under our fingernails. But we love it.” The women met seven years ago while taking ceramics classes at Glendale Community College.

Dear SOS: During my family reunion in Portland, Ore., this past summer, we stumbled upon what we all decided were the tastiest beer nuts. We had them at Deschutes Brewery at 210 NW 11th Ave. I also discovered, upon returning to California, that some of my friends didn't know what beer nuts were! I would very much like to make some and share with them. Beverly Matsuda Irvine Dear Beverly: Deschutes Brewery was happy to share its recipe for this classic sweet-and-salty bar snack.

Angel City Brewery continues to showcase local artists at its Arts District brewery, and this weekend it will be holding an open house for the new "Over a Barrel" exhibit benefitting the Free Arts charity. The open house runs from 4 to 9 p.m. Saturday, and six local Downtown artists, Andre Miripolsky , Scott Forrest , Jaime Colindres , A.S. Ashley, Emmeric Konrad , and J.W. Pippen , will have works displayed at the brewery's on-site gallery. Each artist will also produce an original work using an Angel City oak barrel top as a canvas, and the finished pieces will be auctioned off on Saturday to benefit the Free Arts For Abused Children charity . The charity was founded in 1977, and in 2012 alone nearly 30,000 kids received free art instruction, workshops and supplies from the charity, whose mission is to "inspire hope in the lives of children who have experienced abuse, neglect, poverty and homelessness through innovative creative arts programs and positive interactions with caring adult volunteers.

Drinking just got even more social. A Scotland-based brewery has created what it's calling the world's first “Twitter beer.” BrewDog brewery had its Twitter followers, Facebook fans and blog readers vote on ingredients for a beer ultimately named after the hashtag they used to talk about it on Twitter: #MashTag. Mashing is the first stage of brewing, and yes, the name of the beer was crowdsourced too, as was the brew's label. The crowdsourcing happened during a week in March when the brewery put out a blog post every day explaining the choices voters had. Each day was devoted to a different element of the beer.

A San Juan Capistrano developer has reached an agreement with the city to lease Old Towne's historic Santa Fe Depot and open a microbrewery and restaurant. Under the terms of the deal, the city will use $300,000 of its redevelopment funds to rehabilitate the dilapidated property, shuttered since the 1970s, and then lend J.R. Guerin another $250,000 to help build the microbrewery.

Today, when trendy restaurants from Pasadena to Santa Monica feel obliged to offer patrons the products of several chic American microbreweries and at least one of Belgium's newly fashionable Trappist ales, it's easy to forget that not long ago Los Angeles was home to what many considered the quintessential workingman's beer. For more than 80 years, the city's Eastside Brewery percolated with the smell of hops and malt.

Three-year-old Eagle Rock Brewery took home the coveted Best in Show award at the San Diego International Beer Competition . Equinox, their light and tart American wild ale, took top honors at last weekend's competition, and the Eagle Rock team is celebrating. More than 180 breweries from around the world entered more than 900 distinct beers into the competition -- the largest of its kind on the West Coast. Eagle Rock Brewery also won a gold medal in the Belgian-Style Pale Ale category with the newest addition to their year-round line-up: Unionist.

In case you hadn't realized it, there's a whole lot of brewing going on in Southern California. Don't believe it? Read the New Yorker. The magazine has put together a slick interactive map that illustrates the dramatic growth of the craft beer industry. Based on new data from the Brewers Assn., the map highlights which states have the most craft breweries, which produce the most craft beer and where the biggest and newest breweries are located. California makes the most craft beer and has the most craft breweries of any state, with 316 breweries combining to produce almost 2.5 million barrels (nearly 79 million gallons)